Pick-up head for a vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

An attachment for connection to a suction hose of a vacuum cleaner for enabling liquid to be picked up from a surface and collected by the attachment. The attachment comprises a hollow body defining a collection container for receiving and collecting liquid therein; an outlet member defining an outlet and including a connector adapted to be connected to the suction hose; a pick-up inlet member defining an inlet adapted to pick up liquid from the surface; and a flow path member extending in a flow path between the container and the outlet member. The flow path member defines a flow restricting orifice adjacent a side wall of the container and near an upper end of the container, the orifice having a cross-sectional area significantly less than that of the outlet and that of the inlet; an air expansion chamber disposed in a flow path between the orifice and the outlet; a vortex chamber disposed in a flow path upstream of and adjacent the orifice, the vortex chamber including a curved wall defining a concave flow surface extending across the flow path member from a position opposite the orifice to a position adjacent the orifice such that a flow off the concave flow surface is directed generally away from the orifice; and an element for reversing the flow off the concave flow surface from a direction generally away from the orifice to a direction toward the orifice.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to pick-up heads for vacuum cleaners, i.e.suction operated appliances for use primarily on floors and floorcoverings, and usually having attachments available for specificcleaning operations. More particularly, this invention is concerned witha pick-up head to form part of such an attachment for picking up liquidand which comprises a pick-up head with a collection container forliquid and a suction hose for connection to an inlet of the vacuumcleaner which serves as a source of suction for the attachment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A liquid pick-up head or describe above is disclosed in Germanspecification 1503858, in which the suction hose is connected to thein-use upper end of the collection container, and a which the interiorof the container communicates with a suction chamber by way of a tube ofgenerally inverted J-shape so arranged that liquid picked up by theapplication of suction to the suction chamber travels upwardly along thelonger limb of the tube and is discharged downwardly from the shorterlimb of the tube adjacent to a side wall of the collection container.

Such an arrangement does not afford very efficient separation ofentrained liquid droplets, and accordingly significant quantities ofmoisture may be drawn through the suction hose and into the vacuumcleaner, with possible deleterious effect.

According to the invention, we provide a pick-up head for use with avacuum cleaner and comprising a hollow body defining a collectioncontainer to receive and collect liquid, an outlet leading from thecontainer and including a connector for connection to a source ofsuction, and a pickup inlet for application to a surface from whichliquid is to be picked up. Upstream of the outlet the collectioncontainer has an air outlet opening which comprises a flow-restrictingorifice having a cross-sectional area which is significantly less thanthat of the outlet.

Conveniently, an air expansion chamber is provided between the orificeand the outlet.

Preferably, the flow-restricting orifice is disposed adjacent to a sidewall of the collection container, at or near the in-use upper end of thecontainer.

According to a particularly preferred feature of the invention, adjacentthe flow-restricting orifice there is provided a vortex chamber whichincludes a curved wall forming a concave air-flow directing surfacewhich extends across the collection container from a position adjacentto a side wall thereof opposite to the side wall at which theflow-restricting orifice is provided a position adjacent the orifice andsuch that air-flow off the concave surface is directed generally awayfrom the orifice and is required to undergo a reversal of direction toenter the orifice.

The expansion chamber may be in part defined by the curved wall.

A filter element is preferably provided between the orifice and theoutlet.

The pick-up inlet may be in the form of an elongated slot which extendsbetween lateral side walls of the collection chamber, preferably at aposition adjacent the side wall at which the orifice is provided, and asuction duct may extend from the slot to a discharge outlet which isdisposed within the collection container at a position between the slotand the orifice.

In accordance with a further preferred feature of the invention, thedischarge outlet is arranged adjacent the side wall of the collectioncontainer at which the orifice is provided, and is arranged to face theorifice, an air-flow reversing deflector being disposed between thedischarge outlet and the orifice, whereby air-flow from the suction ductundergoes a reversal of direction and enters the collection containerflowing in a direction away from the orifice and at a position spacedfrom the wails of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through one specific embodiment of apick-up head according to the invention which is intended for connectionto a suction hose;

FIG. 2 shows the pick-up head in the direction of arrow II of FIG. 1partially sectioned and connected to a suction hose; and

FIG. 3 shows a transverse section of the pick-up head along lineIII--III of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The accompanying drawings illustrate a hand-held suction pick-up headfor use as an accessory attachment with a conventional vacuum cleaner.The suction head 10 is intended for the purpose of picking up relativelysmall quantities of cleaning liquid, e.g. typically about 200 c.cs, asmay be applied to a localised area of a carpet or other floor coveringfor the purpose of removing localised heavy soiling. In the embodimentillustrated, the suction head is not provided with any means fordelivering a cleaning liquid, and it is intended that the same would beapplied manually by the user. However, it will be appreciated that thecleaning head as illustrated could be modified to include liquiddelivery, means of any appropriate kind, either from a suitablereservoir container formed or provided on the head itself, or from aseparate reservoir by means of an appropriate supply pipe. The head can,of course, also be used for picking up small spillages of liquid as wellas the cleaning liquid.

As illustrated, the suction head 10 includes a hollow body 11 whichdefines a liquid collection container 12 generally bounded by a lowerwall 13, front wall 14, rear wall 15 and lateral side wails 16. At itsupper end, the hollow body 11 defines a tubular outlet 17, through whichliquid collected in the container 12 can be emptied, and through which,in use, suction is applied.

For this purpose the tubular outlet 17 receives a connection member 20comprising a tubular spigot 21 which is in a close friction fit withinthe outlet 17, and a socket 22 adapted to receive an end fitting 60 of aflexible suction hose.

A flexible tongue 26 which is formed or provided on the connectionmember 20 is arranged to enter an internal longitudinal slot 18 formedon the wall of the tubular outlet 17 of the suction head, and an off-setportion 26a of the tongue is adapted to enter a corresponding aperture19 formed in the wall of the tubular outlet 17 as illustrated at theinnermost end of the slot 18.

The socket 22 comprises a cylindrical side wall 27 formed internallywith a plurality of longitudinally extending circumferentially spacedribs 23 which project radially inwardly from the wall sill 27 of thesocket 22 and which at the inner end of the socket terminate in furtherradially projecting inward extensions 24. The diametral spacing betweenthe inwardly presented faces of the ribs 23 is such as to receive thehose end fitting as a tight friction fit, and the extensions 24 serve asend stops whereby an annular gap 25 exists between the hose end fittingand the inner end of the socket 22. The above arrangement enables air tobe drawn in along the axial passageways which are defined between theribs 23 in order to provide an air-bleed passageway which reduces thesuction applied to the suction head 10.

As illustrated, the ribs 23 may project outwardly beyond the end of theside wall of the socket 22, and be chamfered as indicated at 23a,whereby a user may grip the assembly of tubular outlet 17 and socket 22in the palm of the hand and regulate the air-bleed by obstructing theaxial passageways to a greater or lesser extent, thereby varying thesuction power applied to the suction head.

The air-bleed facility helps to reduce the air-flow through the suctionhead, thereby assisting the prevention of excessive turbulence whichmight tend to cause the contents of the liquid collection container 12to be drawn up into the suction hose.

The lower wall 13 of the suction head is formed with a liquid pick-upinlet 30, which comprises a transversely extending elongate suctionchamber 31 bounded by a downwardly projecting peripheral rib 32, and anupper wall 33 which is arranged obliquely relative to the mouth of thesuction chamber as defined by the lower edge of the peripheral rib, asbest seen in FIG. 1. The upper wall 33 is formed with a longitudinallyextending slot 34 through which suction is applied to the chamber 31.The suction slot 34 opens into a suction duct 35 which is provided onthe inner face of the front wall 14 of the liquid collection container12. The duct 35 includes an upwardly converging inlet portion leading toa generally parallel-sided portion which terminates in a dischargeoutlet 36 at a position near to the tubular outlet 17, but spacedtherefrom. As can be seen, the discharge outlet 36 is directed towardsthe tubular outlet 17.

To ensure that liquid picked up through the pick-up inlet 30 isseparated from the air-flow which is induced by means of a suctionapplied through the suction hose, and collected in the container 12, inaccordance with the invention an air/liquid separating fitting 40 isprovided.

The fitting 40 comprises a hollow plug 41 which is received within thetubular spigot 21 of the connection member 20, the plug having acylindrical wall 42 which is closed at the innermost end by means of anend wall 43, and at its outer end receives a filter element 44.

A pair of arms 45 extend away from the end wall 43 at one side of thefitting, and at their free ends carry a deflector 46 which comprises asemi-cylindrical wall 47 with corresponding semi-circular end walls 48.The axial length of the deflector 46 corresponds to the width of thedischarge outlet 36 and effectively defines an end portion of thesuction duct 35 in which the direction of air-flow is reversed so thatthe stream of air and liquid entrained therein from the suction chamber30 is delivered into the collection container 12 at a generally centralposition spaced from the side wails 14,15,16.

This sharp reversal of air-flow ensures that most of the liquidentrained in the air-flow is separated out. A further reversal in thedirection of the air-flow is required to enable the air stream to flowtowards the tubular outlet 17.

However, in accordance with the invention, communication between theinterior of the collection container 12 and the hose attached to theconnection member 20 is by way of a flow-restricting orifice 49 formedin the end wall 43 of the plug at a position adjacent to the cylindricalwall 42 and between the arms 45.

The orifice 49 significantly restricts the air-flow through the suctionhead, and its small dimensions, as well as the shielding afforded by thearms 45 and deflector 46, create a significant obstacle to droplets ofliquid still entrained in the air-flow, the majority of which will beefficiently removed by contact with the various surfaces whicheffectively define a tortuous air passageway.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, this effect isenhanced by the provision of a vortex chamber 50 immediately adjacent tothe orifice 49. The vortex chamber 50 is defined within the plug 41 by acurved wall 51, which affords a concave surface directed towards theinterior of the collection container 12, and by side walls 52 inalignment with the arms 45 and extending from the end wall 43 into theinterior of the plug. The curved wall 51 extends from a positionimmediately adjacent to the orifice 49 inwardly of the hollow plug 41,and terminates at the cylindrical wall 42 of the plug on the sidethereof opposite the side at which the orifice 49 is provided.

The vortex chamber 50, thus defined, provides for a third reversal ofthe direction of air-flow towards the orifice 49 and sets up a vortexwhich further assists in the separation of any entrained droplets ofliquid. Since the air-flow from the concave face of the curved wall 51is then directed away from the orifice 49, a fourth reversal ofdirection is required before the air-flow exits from the collectioncontainer 12, again assisting separation of any remaining entraineddroplets of liquid.

The interior of the hollow plug 41, bounded in part by the cylindricalwall 42 and the curved wall 51 serves as an expansion chamber 53 whichgives rise to a substantial reduction in the velocity of air-flow atthis point and this provides a still further separation of entraineddroplets, and the filter element 44 may serve to retain any remainingdroplets before the air-flow passes out of the suction head and into thesuction hose. The filter element is preferably in the form of a meshmade of filaments of material which provides a mechanical barrier towater droplets whilst allowing collected water to drip back from theelement when air-flow ceases.

The front wall 14 of the collection container 12 may be formed with acentral thumb recess as illustrated at 14a to facilitate gripping of thesuction head by the user, and a movable thumb-piece may be providedwithin the recess for longitudinal sliding movement towards and awayfrom the orifice 49, the thumb piece having a downward extension adaptedto close the orifice 49 when the thumb piece is not moved away from theorifice against a spring-bias, so that when the user releases thesuction head the orifice 49 is automatically closed in order to preventliquid leaking out of the collection container and into the suctionhose.

To empty the collection container after use, it is merely necessary toremove the connection member 20, together with the fitting 40, and totip away the contents of the container through the outlet 17. Thefitting 40 can be removed from the connection member 20 to enable thefilter element 44 to be cleaned or replaced.

We claim:
 1. An attachment for connection to a suction hose of a vacuumcleaner for enabling liquid to be picked up from a surface and collectedby the attachment, the attachment comprising:a hollow body defining acollection container for receiving and collecting liquid therein; anoutlet member disposed to be in flow communication with the container,the outlet member defining an outlet and including a connector adaptedto be connected to the suction hose; a pick-up inlet member disposed tobe in flow communication with the container, the inlet member definingan inlet adapted to be applied to the surface for picking up liquidtherefrom; a flow path member extending in a flow path between thecontainer and the outlet member, the flow path member defining:a flowrestricting orifice adjacent a side wall of the container and near anupper end of the container, the orifice thereby being disposed upstreamof the outlet and further having a cross-sectional area significantlyless than that of the outlet and that of the inlet; an air expansionchamber disposed in a flow path between the orifice and the outlet; avortex chamber disposed in a flow path upstream of and adjacent theorifice, the vortex chamber including a curved wall defining a concaveflow surface extending across the flow path member from a positionopposite the orifice to a position adjacent the orifice such that a flowoff the concave flow surface is directed generally away from theorifice; and a means for reversing the flow off the concave flow surfacefrom a direction generally away from the orifice to a direction towardthe orifice.
 2. The attachment according to claim 1, wherein the curvedwall partially defines the air expansion chamber.
 3. The attachmentaccording to claim 2, wherein the inlet is disposed adjacent a side wallof the container nearest the orifice.
 4. The attachment according toclaim 3, wherein the hollow body further includes a suction ductextending from the inlet toward the flow path member, the suction ductdefining a discharge outlet at an end thereof adjacent the flow pathmember upstream of the orifice.
 5. The attachment according to claim 4,wherein:the discharge outlet is disposed adjacent the side wall of thecontainer nearest the orifice, the discharge outlet further facing in adirection towards the orifice; and the flow path member includes a flowreversing deflector disposed in a flow path between the discharge outletand the orifice, whereby flow from the suction duct undergoes a reversalof direction and enters the container at a position spaced from sidewalls of the container and flowing in a direction away from the orifice.6. The attachment according to claim 5, wherein:the connector includes aplug member which fits within the outlet such that the orifice, thevortex chamber and the expansion chamber are formed in the plug member,and such that the deflector is part of the plug member.
 7. Theattachment according to claim 1, wherein the connector includes a plugmember which fits within the outlet such that the orifice, the vortexchamber and the expansion chamber are formed in the plug member.
 8. Theattachment according to claim 1, wherein the flow path member furtherincludes a filter element disposed in the flow path between the orificeand the outlet.
 9. The attachment according to claim 1, wherein thepick-up inlet member is an elongated slot extending between lateral sidewalls of the collection container.
 10. An attachment for connection to asuction hose of a vacuum cleaner for enabling liquid to be picked upfrom a surface and collected by the attachment, the attachmentcomprising:a hollow body defining a collection container for receivingand collecting liquid therein; an outlet member disposed to be in flowcommunication with the container, the outlet member defining an outletand including a connector adapted to be connected to the suction hose; apick-up inlet member disposed to be in flow communication with thecontainer, the inlet member defining an inlet adapted to be applied tothe surface for picking up liquid therefrom; a flow path memberextending in a flow path between the container and the outlet member,the flow path member defining a flow restricting orifice disposedupstream of the outlet and having a cross-sectional area significantlyless than that of the outlet and that of the inlet, the flow path memberfurther including a filter element disposed in the flow path between theorifice and the outlet.
 11. An attachment for connection to a suctionhose of a vacuum cleaner for enabling liquid to be picked up from asurface and collected by the attachment, the attachment comprising:ahollow body defining a collection container for receiving and collectingliquid therein; a pick-up inlet member disposed to be in flowcommunication with the container, the inlet member defining an inletadapted to be applied to the surface for picking up liquid therefrom; anoutlet member disposed to be in flow communication with the container,the outlet member defining an outlet and including a connector adaptedto be connected to the suction hose, the connector comprising a socketadapted to receive an end fitting of the suction hose and beingconfigured to define an air-bleed passageway to an interior region ofthe outlet member; a flow path member extending in a flow path betweenthe container and the outlet member, the flow path member defining aflow restricting orifice disposed upstream of the outlet and having across-sectional area significantly less than that of the outlet and thatof the inlet.
 12. The attachment according to claim 11, wherein thesocket includes a plurality of longitudinally extendingcircumferentially spaced internal ribs adapted to receive and set apositioning of the end fitting of the suction hose, the air bleedpassageway including an annular gap located around the end fitting whenthe end fitting is received by the internal ribs of the socket.
 13. Theattachment according to claim 12, wherein the ribs include inwardlyprojecting extensions adapted to serve as end stops for the end fittingof the suction hose.
 14. The attachment according to claim 12, whereinthe ribs extend in a longitudinal direction beyond the socket andinclude chamfered ends, a user thereby being able to regulate an airbleed through the ribs by gripping the socket for obstructing the airbleed passageway to varied extents.